One step in taking a photograph or capturing video is framing of the desired image. Many cameras include an LCD display or viewfinder facing the user which displays the framed image before and after image capture. Users can, for example, adjust the image displayed in the LCD display using a combination of camera movement (the user physically moving the camera location) and zoom control to frame the desired image. For many commercially available consumer cameras, when a user raises the camera to frame a picture, the image displayed on the viewfinder does not relate to the user's view of the scene past the camera, but instead depends only on the orientation of the camera and the position of its zoom control. This mismatch between the user's and the camera's view directions can be especially problematic when the view of the viewfinder is impaired, washed out by strong sunlight, for example. Contrast this to the simple way in which a cinematographer frames a shot with their fingers: by simply moving the “frame” in front of their view, including closer to and further away from their viewpoint (to include more or less of the image respectively). They are able to directly select the view they want to capture—without recourse to additional controls such as zoom.
The drawings referred to in this Brief Description should not be understood as being drawn to scale unless specifically noted.